Machinery for removing superfluous spelter from galvanized articles



D. ONEIL, J. A. HOLMQUIST AND J. W. FREE. I MACHINERY FOR REMOVINGSUPERFLUOUSSPELTER FROIVI GALVANIZED ARTICLES.

' APPLICATION men DEC. 21, 191-9.

1,338, 152, Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

FIGJ.

' WITNESSES I I 4,, $3253 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAN ONEIL, JOHN A. HOLMQUIST, AND JOHN W. FREE, OF WOODLAWN, PENNSYL--VANIA, ASSIGNORS T0 JONES 6t LAUGHLIN STEEL COMPANY, OF 1 I'1TSBUBGH,PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA;

MACHINERY FOR REMOVING SUPERFLUOUS- SPELTER FROM-GALVANIZED ARTICLES.

Specification'of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

Application filed December 27, 1919. Serial Nd. 347,861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, DAN ONEIL, J oHN A. HoLM UIs'r, and JOHN W. FREE,residing at Woodlawn, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania,citizens of the United States, have invented or discovered certaln newand useful Improvements in Machinery sion; specifically, our improvedmachinery finds practical use in removing from such small galvanizediron articles as nails the superfluous zinc adhering to them as theycome from the galvanizing bath. Tumbling barrels and centrifugalseparators have heretofore been employed for this purpose, and themachine of our present invention, differing from those in structure andoperation, has for its ends an even coating of the galvanizing metalover the surface of the article and at the same time such high rapidityof production as to adapt it peculiarly well to the conditions anddemands of mill practice.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a view of the machine of our invention in horizontalsection, and Fig. 2 a view of it in vertical section. The plane ofsection of 'Fig. 2 is indicated by'the dotted line II-II, Fig. 1, andthe plane of section of Fig. 1 is correspondin l illustrated by thebroken dotted line IT, Fig. 2.

We shall, in the ensuing description, confine attention to the removalof superfluous zinc from newly galvanized nails ordinarily made of steelwire, but it will be understood from what has gone before that themachine is by no means limited to particular articles nor to particularmaterials; and we mean to bring within the scope of the ensuing claimsmachinery for accomplishing such separation, without the limitations ofthe nature su gested.

The ordinary process of galvanizing nails ,is effectedby filling a-fperforated ladlewith the uncoated nails as they come from the nailmachine, dipping the filled ladle into a bath of molten zinc, andallowing it to remain in the bath for a sufiicient time for the zinc topenetrate and percolate through the mass of nails within the ladle. Theladle is then removed, and one of two methods of procedure is thenordinarily pursued either the nails are turned from the ladle .into atumbling barrel, or the ladle itself is mounted on an axle and rotatedat high speed, and the superfluous metal is thrown out through theperforations as the ladle rotates.

\Ve have found it advantageous, in this preliminary step of theprocedure, to use a small ladle rather than a large one; for thus weinsure rapid penetration of molten spelter throughout the whose mass ofnails within the ladle, and rapid penetration of heat throughout themass. Rapid penetration of zinc, and temperature above the melting pointof zinc, rapidly attained throughout the mass, are desiderata, makingfor the rapid turning out of a product of good and even quality.

The mass within the ladle, on being raised from the bath of spelter, isin somewhat such condition as a mass of tooth-picks might be understoodto be, after immersion, and on being lifted out of water; not only arethe nails wet and coated over with zinc, but

superfluous zinc is carried in the interstices evenly coated; and suchremoval of super-' fluous zinc will manifestly be accomplished toadvantage, if it is accomplished before the cooling zinc freezes. andsolidifies the mass. Th? speed "aries according to the size of the mu 5.

The ladle full of nails is brought to a separating machine; and it is inthe par-- ticular construction of the separating machine which now weare about. to describe that our invention resides. We shall describe theprogress of the nails through the machine, and in the course of thisdescription the structure of the machine in all its essential featureswill be, made plain. The ladle is brought to the machine, and the chargeis dumped into it through a. hopper caused to rotate at a speedsufficient to effect the ends to be described. The wheel is providedwith radial vanes or paddles 4:, whlch, bearing upon the dumped-inmaterial, carry that material forward with the Wheel in its rotarycourse. Because of the rapid rotation of the wheel 3, the dumped-inmaterial, acquiring rotary motion, immediately,

under centrifugal force, fiies out from the l I periphery of the wheel.

Encircling the wheel, and standing opposite its periphery with a narrowinterval between, is a wall 5'; the wall is preferably, though notnecessarily, ,conical in shape, and downwardlyflaring, as shown. Thematerial thrown out from wheel 3 in the manner described strikes againstthis wall, and falls to the hopper 6 arranged beneath; from the hopperthe material slides and is delivered to an inclined chute 7. Adjacentthe delivery edge of chute 7, and spaced from it at a narrow interval,is a magnetic conveyer.

This magnetic conveyer consists of an endless belt 8 traveling on agentle incline as shown and sustained adjacent the delivery chute 7 by amagnetized roller 14. Such magnetized rollers, and magnetic conveyers soconstituted are to be had in the market, and require no detailedconsideration.

By virtue of the space between the edge of chute 7 and the face of thebelt 8 upon the magnetized roller ll the non-magnetic material, that'isto say, the bits of spelter, will fall by gravity, while the nailsthemselves, being of magnetic material, will be drawn to and cling tothe belt, and will be carried by the belt 8 to the place of delivery.The chute 7 is a jig-chute, in that the material descending over it isshaken and caused to dance upon it, in consequence of rapidly repeatedsharp jars or vibrations imparted to it. Our convenient arrangement inthis detail is this: The chute itself, preferably formed of metal, issupported midway its length (andpreferably at that -point only) byresting ona block 9 (con venlently of wood), which block 9 is can riedpnslats 10 (also conveniently of wood). The'slats are secured at one endto the beam or sill 11' and at the other end they rest upon cams 12borne by a rotating shaft 13.

The effect of rotation is a sharp bumping or'knockin'g which, impartedto the material descending over chute 7, causes it to dance in themanner mentioned above.

Returning now to the material charged in and tothe effect upon it ofthese several the effect of impact of the material slung from wheel 3agafiist wall 5 will be to disintegrate the mass and to shake from thenails the superfluous spelter, to loosen the nails one from another, and(the temperature being now near or somewhat lower than the melting pointof zinc) to permit a smooth and even and unbroken coating to harden uponeach nail, while the superfluous coating metal freezes into disconnectedparticles. The now disintegrated mass of'solid bodies of two kindsdescending, passes .over the jig-chute 7, by dancing upon this chute,the tendency of the nails to accumulate in masses is overcome, andinstead the material is spread loosely over the chute. As the materialpasses over the edge of the chute, the nails are picked up by themagnetic conveyer, and carried away from the bits of spelter which fallfrom the edge of the chute.

We do not limit ourselves in the matter of detail in mechanicalconstruction, but mean to include within the scope of the ensuing claimsmachinery possessing the charrating the disintegrated material, partfrom part, substantially as described.

2. A separator for masses of composite material partly solid and partlyin course of solidification, consisting of a rotary member adapted toreceive and to carry and to deliver under'centrifugal force from itsperiphery material fed to it in bulk, an en-' circling wall adapted toarrest the centrifugal travel of the material thrown from the rotarymember and by such arrest to disintegrate the material, and means forseparating the disintegrated material, part from part, substantially asdescribed.

3. A separator for articles of magnetic material integrated with anothermaterial, consisting of means fordisintegrating the material, ajig-chute adapted to receive the material from the disintegrating means,and a magnetic conveyer arranged atan interval from the delivery edge ofsaid chute,

substantially as described.

4:. Apparatus for separating superfluous spelter from a mass ofgalvanized articles of magnetic material on removal from the galvanizingbath, including a rotary member adapted to receive and to carry and todeliver under centrifugal force from its periphery material fed to it inbulk, an encircling well adapted to arrest the centrifw gal travel ofthe material thrown from the rotary member and by such arrest todisintegrate the material, and a-magnetic separator adapted to act uponthe disintegrated material fallen from said well, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto 10 set our hands.

vVitnessesi L. ARTHUR WEST, FRANK HAYWARD.

